Gasket and drum-type washing machine having the same

ABSTRACT

A gasket and washing machine having the same prevents gasket deformation and damage. The gasket is coupled between a cabinet of a drum-type washing machine and a tub disposed inside the cabinet. The gasket includes a shock absorber having a bent portion for preventing a vibration appearing in the tub from being transferred to the cabinet, and at least one reinforcement member, provided to the shock absorber, for preventing deformation of the shock absorber. The reinforcement member includes a plurality of protruding ribs protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber.

This application claims the benefit of Korean Applications Nos.P2004-009703 and P2004-009704, both filed on Feb. 13, 2004, and whichare hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to drum-type washing machines, and moreparticularly, to a gasket for absorbing shocks generated from drumrotation while preventing water leakage from a tub, which employs areinforcement member constructed of a plurality of protruding ribsprovided to a shock absorber of the gasket to prevent gasket deformationand damage, and to a washing machine having the same.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Generally speaking, a washing machine is an apparatus which usesdetergent and an applied mechanical energy to remove dirt attached tolaundry. A tub is provided to hold (or contain) water and detergent, andlaundry is placed in a drum for accommodating the laundry mixed with thewater and detergent. The drum, which is installed within the tub, isrotated inside the tub by the drive force of a motor to perform washing,rinsing, and dewatering.

Meanwhile, drum-type washing machines, in which the drum and tub aredisposed horizontally, tend to avoid damaging and raveling the laundryand consume less water while achieving a washing effect of beating andrubbing. A general drum-type washing machine is shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, a cabinet 10 forms an exterior of the washingmachine and has a forward opening 14, formed in a front panel 13 of thecabinet, for loading and retrieving laundry via a door 11. A tub 20,suspended within the cabinet 10, has an entrance 21 for communicatingwith the forward opening 14 of the front panel 13. A drum 30, rotatablyinstalled within the tub and provided with a multitude of perforations32 to let water pass from the tub to the drum, has a cylindrical shapewith an entrance 33 at its front end to communicate with the tubentrance 21. Thus, the forward opening 14, tub entrance 21, and drumentrance 33 compose a laundry opening through which laundry can beloaded into and retrieved from the drum 30. To wash a load of laundry,washing water is supplied to the tub 20, which is then drained using adrain pump 23 and drain hose 24 installed under the tub 20.

A rotating means 40, such as an induction or BLDC motor for rotating thedrum 30 and including a rotational shaft 41 centrally coupled to therear of the drum, is installed behind the tub 20 and rotates the drumforward and reversely according to the motor's rotational direction. Atleast one lifter 31 is provided to an inner wall of the drum 30 toassist the washing action by repeatedly lifting the laundry to apredetermined height as the drum is rotated and then allowing the liftedlaundry to fall from the predetermined height.

As the drum 30 rotates within the tub 20 under the drive force of therotating means 40, the drum and tub assembly vibrates. To attenuate thevibration, the tub 20 is supported by an elastic means, including aspring 25 disposed above the tub and a damper 26 disposed below the tub.

Referring to FIG. 2, a gasket 50 having an essentially annular shape isprovided between the cabinet 10 and the tub 20 for preventing waterleakage while the door 11 is closed. To achieve leakage prevention, thegasket 50 includes a front rim coupled to the front panel 13 of thecabinet 10 and a rear rim coupled to the entrance 21 of the tub 20, tothereby close the gap between the cabinet 10 and tub 20. Meanwhile, whenoperating the drum-type washing machine, vibration appearing in the tub20 may be transferred to the cabinet 10, specifically, to the frontpanel 13. Therefore, the gasket 50 also serves to compensate formovement in the tub 20 caused by the rotation of the drum 30 and toprevent a transfer of the resulting vibration. To achieve vibrationprevention, the gasket 50 includes a shock absorber 51 having an annularshape corresponding to that of the gasket, in which a bent portion 51 ais formed between the front and rear rims of the gasket by shaping anexcess length of the gasket material into a U-shaped bend.

Over time, the gasket 50 of the related art tends to become damaged andthereby lose its leakage prevention properties or may collapse andthereby lose its vibration prevention properties. Specifically,vibration transferred from the tub 20 to the gasket 50 may causefriction to develop between inner walls 51 b and 51 c of the shockabsorber 51, whereby the gasket becomes damaged or broken down asindicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a gasket and drum-typewashing machine having the same that substantially obviate one or moreof the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention, which has been devised to solve theforegoing problems, lies in providing a gasket and washing machinehaving the same, by which gasket deformation and damage is prevented.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent to thosehaving ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following ormay be learned from a practice of the invention. The objectives andother advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by thesubject matter particularly pointed out in the specification and claimshereof as well as in the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages in accordance with thepresent invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a gasketcoupled between a cabinet of a drum-type washing machine and a tubdisposed inside the cabinet includes a shock absorber having a bentportion for preventing a vibration appearing in the tub from beingtransferred to the cabinet, and at least one reinforcement member,provided to the shock absorber, for preventing deformation of the shockabsorber.

The reinforcement member comprises a protruding rib protruding from aninner wall of the shock absorber, and preferably, a plurality of suchprotruding ribs arranged to have a predetermined interval, whereby theprotruding ribs run perpendicular with respect to the bend of the bentportion, which has a predetermined direction. The protruding ribs areformed to have characteristics determined in consideration of stressesapplied to the shock absorber, and in the event that a washing machineadopting the gasket of the present invention is provided with a dryingfunction such that the gasket further comprises a duct receptacle, thestresses applied to the shock absorber are particularly compounded.

In another aspect of the present invention, a washing machine includes acabinet having a front panel in which a forward opening is centrallyformed for loading and retrieving laundry, the cabinet forming anexterior of the washing machine; a tub, disposed behind the front panel,having a tub entrance for communicating with the forward opening; andthe above gasket. The washing machine may include a drying device fordrying laundry by supplying hot air to the tub, the drying device beingprovided with a drying duct. Thus, the gasket further includes a ductreceptacle for receiving the drying duct, and the at least onereinforcement member of the gasket includes a protruding rib protrudingfrom an inner wall of the shock absorber adjacent the duct receptacle,the protruding rib being formed to have characteristics determined inconsideration of stresses applied to the shock absorber by the dryingduct.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing explanation and thefollowing detailed description of the present invention are exemplaryand illustrative and are intended to provide further explanation of theinvention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of a general drum-type washingmachine;

FIG. 2 is a perspective diagram of a gasket of the washing machine inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of a washing machine according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective diagram of a gasket of the washing machine inFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a section VI in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram of a washing machine according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective diagram of a gasket of the washing machine inFIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a section X in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Throughout the drawings, like elements are indicated using thesame or similar reference designations where possible.

Referring to FIG. 4, a drum-type washing machine according to thepresent invention comprises a cabinet 100 forming an exterior of thewashing machine and having a forward opening 140, formed in a frontpanel 130 of the cabinet, for loading and retrieving laundry via a door110; a tub 200, suspended within the cabinet 100, having an entrance 210for communicating with the forward opening of the front panel; and adrum 300, rotatably installed within the tub and provided with amultitude of perforations 320 to let water pass from the tub to thedrum, having a cylindrical shape with an entrance 330 at its front endto communicate with the tub entrance. A laundry opening, through whichlaundry can be loaded into and retrieved from the drum 300, is thusformed by a combination of the forward opening 140, tub entrance 210,and drum entrance 330. A drain pump 230 and a drain hose 240 areinstalled under the tub 200 for draining washing water supplied to thetub.

A rotating means 400, such as an induction or BLDC motor for rotatingthe drum 300 and including a rotational shaft 410 centrally coupled tothe rear of the drum, is installed behind the tub 200 and rotates thedrum forward and reversely according to the motor's rotationaldirection. At least one lifter 310 is provided to an inner wall of thedrum 300 to assist the washing action by repeatedly lifting the laundryto a predetermined height as the drum is rotated and then allowing thelifted laundry to fall from the predetermined height.

To attenuate vibration generated during operation of the drum-typewashing machine, the tub 200 is supported by an elastic means, includinga spring 250 disposed above the tub and a damper 260 disposed below thetub.

According to the present invention, a drum-type washing machine asdescribed above is provided with a gasket 500, as shown in FIG. 5. Thegasket, having an essentially annular shape, is provided between thecabinet 100 having a front panel 130 and the tub 200 installed behindthe front panel 130, essentially connecting the entrance 210 of the tubto the front panel 130. The gasket of the present invention preventsgasket damage, which may be caused by the vibration of the tub 200, andis multipurpose.

To prevent water leakage, the gasket 500 has a front rim 501 coupled tothe front panel 130 of the cabinet 100 and a rear rim 502 coupled to theentrance 210 of the tub 200, thus closing the gap between the cabinet100 and tub 200. To prevent a transfer of vibration to the cabinet 100,the gasket 500 includes a shock absorber 510 having an annular shapecorresponding to that of the gasket, in which a bent portion 511 isformed between the front and rear rims 501 and 502 of the gasket byshaping a predetermined length of the gasket material into a U-shapedbend. The shock absorber 510 is preferably formed of a soft, pliablematerial to absorb vibration appearing in the tub 200, by contracting,expanding, and twisting accordingly.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the gasket according to the presentinvention includes at least one reinforcement member provided to theshock absorber 510 to prevent the shock absorber from being damaged orbroken by the vibration of the tub 200 generated from the rotation ofthe drum 300. Such damage could result from a collapse of the shockabsorber 510, such that its inner walls are rubbed against each other.That is, excessive deformation of the gasket 500 due to a torsion andbending of the shock absorber 510 may result when the tub 200 vibrateshorizontally and vertically and transfers the vibration to the gasket500, particularly at the shock absorber. The reinforcement memberincludes a protruding rib 530 protruding from one or both inner walls ofthe shock absorber 510. Preferably, the reinforcement member of thepresent invention comprises a plurality of protruding ribs 530. Theprotruding ribs 530 are arranged in a circumferential direction of thegasket 500 with a predetermined interval (or spacing) between ribs. Thejunction of the protruding rib 530 to the shock absorber 510 ispreferably a rounded portion R formed to have a predetermined curvature(or radius). The characteristics of the protruding ribs 530, whichinclude their height, width, and spacing, are determined based on theincidence of vibration and stress transferred to the gasket 500 and feltat the shock absorber 510.

The shock absorber 510 preferably protrudes outwardly from its annularshape and is typically directed forward, i.e., toward the front panel140 of the cabinet 100, and the protruding rib 530 is disposed to beperpendicular with respect to the direction of the bend of the bentportion 511. Thus, the protruding rib 530 has the same generalcross-section as that of the shock absorber 510. Preferably, theprotruding ribs 530 are formed as one continuous protrusion extendingover both inner walls of the shock absorber 510, with the rib formationon one wall directly opposing a rib formation on the other wall. The ribformation may, however, be separately provided on one or both opposingwalls. In the same manner, although not specifically shown in thedrawings, the protruding ribs 530 may be formed on one or both outerwalls of the shock absorber 510.

The above-constructed protruding rib 530 prevents the gasket 500 fromdrooping due to weight of the tub 200 when the washing machine stopsoperating. The protruding rib 530 prevents excessive torsionaldeformation of the shock absorber 510 caused by the vibration of the tub200 while the washing machine operates and minimizes the degradation ofoverall vibration attenuating capability of the gasket 500.

A drum-type washing machine according to another embodiment of thepresent invention is provided with a drying function, as shown in FIG.8. To perform the drying function, the drum-type washing machineaccording to the present invention further includes a drying device 600for drying the laundry after washing. The drying device 600 includes adrying duct 610 and a condensation duct 640 and achieves drying using anair circulation mechanism, by which hot air is supplied via the dryingduct to the interior of the tub 200. A blower 620 and a heater 630, forcirculating heated air, are installed in the drying duct 610. Moisturepresent in the circulating air is condensed by a condensing means 650provided in the condensation duct 640, one end of which communicateswith the drying duct 610 and the other end of which communicates withthe rear of the tub 200.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the drum-type washing machine of thesecond embodiment includes a gasket 700 having a duct receptacle 720 forreceiving the drying duct 610. Similar to the first embodiment, thegasket 700 of the second embodiment is coupled between the cabinet 100and the tub 200, to prevent a vibration appearing in the tub from beingtransferred to the cabinet 100 and to prevent water leakage, andcomprises a front rim 701 coupled to the front panel 130 of the cabinet,a rear rim 702 coupled to the entrance 210 of the tub, and a shockabsorber 710 having an annular shape corresponding to that of thegasket, in which a bent portion 711 is formed between the front and rearrims of the gasket by shaping a predetermined length of the gasketmaterial into a U-shaped bend. In the second embodiment, however, theshock absorber 710 runs adjacent to the duct receptacle 720 and isshaped and directed accordingly. Here, the shock absorber 710 is alsoprovided with the protruding ribs 530, which protrude from the innerwalls of the shock absorber at points other than those adjacent the ductreceptacle 720.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the coupling of the gasket 700to the drying duct 610 causes one portion of the shock absorber 710 toreceive a greater incidence of vibration and related stress than theremainder receives. That is, the portion of the shock absorber 710adjacent the duct receptacle 720 is more directly affected by vibrationtransferred from the tub 200, resulting in additional stresses in thegasket material at or near the duct receptacle. Therefore, the shockabsorber 710 of the gasket 700 of the second embodiment is provided withat least one reinforcement member comprising a protruding rib 730, andpreferably a plurality of protruding ribs 730, to prevent the shockabsorber from being damaged or broken by the vibration of the tub 200generated from the rotation of the drum 300. The characteristics of theprotruding ribs 730 are determined based on the incidence of vibrationand stress transferred to the gasket 500 and felt at the shock absorber510, by which the additional stresses can be separately considered.

During the operation of a drum-type washing machine adopting the gasketof the present invention, various forces generated from the vibration ofthe tub 200 are applied to the bent portion 511 (or bent portions 511and 711) of the shock absorber 510 and/or 710, and particularly, to thebent portion adjacent the duct receptacle 720, but the reinforcementmember provided to the shock absorber prevents excessive deformation(e.g., collapse) of the shock absorber caused by such forces, whereby arubbing of the inner walls of the shock absorber, especially adjacentthe duct receptacle, is prevented. Therefore, the present inventionprevents the generation of friction between the inner walls of theentire the shock absorber, which would eventually damage the gasket, andmaintains the vibration attenuating capability of the gasket over time.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it isintended that the present invention cover such modifications andvariations, provided they come within the scope of the appended claimsand their equivalents.

1. A gasket coupled between a cabinet of a drum-type washing machine anda tub disposed inside the cabinet, the gasket comprising: a shockabsorber having a bent portion for preventing a vibration appearing inthe tub from being transferred to the cabinet; and at least onereinforcement member, provided to the shock absorber, for preventingdeformation of the shock absorber.
 2. The gasket as claimed in claim 1,wherein the at least one reinforcement member comprises a firstprotruding rib protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber. 3.The gasket as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bent portion of the shockabsorber comprises a bend having a predetermined direction, the firstprotruding rib running perpendicular with respect to the bend of thebent portion.
 4. The gasket as claimed in claim 2, wherein the firstprotruding rib meets the shock absorber at a rounded junction having apredetermined radius.
 5. The gasket as claimed in claim 1, wherein theat least one reinforcement member comprises a plurality of firstprotruding ribs protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber. 6.The gasket as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of firstprotruding ribs are arranged to have a predetermined interval.
 7. Thegasket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bend of the shock absorbercomprises two opposing inner walls, the at least one reinforcementmember being provided to one inner wall.
 8. The gasket as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the bend of the shock absorber comprises two opposinginner walls, the at least one reinforcement member being respectivelyprovided to both inner walls.
 9. The gasket as claimed in claim 8,wherein the at least one reinforcement member provided to the innerwalls is continuously formed so as to oppose each other.
 10. The gasketas claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one reinforcement memberprovided to the inner walls is separately formed.
 11. The gasket asclaimed in claim 1, further comprising a duct receptacle, providedbetween the shock absorber and the cabinet, for receiving a drying duct.12. The gasket as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least onereinforcement member comprises a second protruding rib protruding froman inner wall of the shock absorber adjacent the duct receptacle. 13.The gasket as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second protruding rib isformed to have characteristics determined in consideration of stressesapplied to the shock absorber by the drying duct.
 14. The gasket asclaimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one reinforcement memberfurther comprises a first protruding rib protruding from an inner wallof the shock absorber at points other than points adjacent to the ductreceptacle.
 15. The gasket as claimed in claim 14, wherein thecharacteristics of the second protruding rib are determined separatelyfrom characteristics for forming the first protruding rib.
 16. Thegasket as claimed in claim 13, wherein the characteristics of the secondprotruding rib include height and width of the second protruding rib.17. The gasket as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least onereinforcement member comprises a plurality of second protruding ribsprotruding from an inner wall of the shock absorber.
 18. The gasket asclaimed in claim 17, wherein the second protruding rib is formed to havecharacteristics determined in consideration of stresses applied to theshock absorber by the drying duct.
 19. The gasket as claimed in claim18, wherein the characteristics of the second protruding rib includespacing of the second protruding ribs.
 20. The gasket as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcement member comprises a firstprotruding rib protruding from an outer wall of the shock absorber. 21.A washing machine comprising: a cabinet having a front panel in which aforward opening is centrally formed for loading and retrieving laundry,the cabinet forming an exterior of the washing machine; a tub, disposedbehind the front panel, having a tub entrance for communicating with theforward opening; and a gasket coupled between the cabinet and the tub,the gasket comprising: a shock absorber having a bent portion forpreventing a vibration appearing in the tub from being transferred tothe cabinet; and at least one reinforcement member, provided to theshock absorber, for preventing deformation of the shock absorber. 22.The washing machine as claimed in claim 21, further comprising a dryingdevice for drying laundry by supplying hot air to the tub, the dryingdevice being provided with a drying duct.
 23. The washing machine asclaimed in claim 22, wherein the gasket further comprises a ductreceptacle for receiving the drying duct.
 24. The washing machine asclaimed in claim 23, wherein the bent portion of the shock absorber isdirected away from the duct receptacle.
 25. The washing machine asclaimed in claim 23, wherein the duct receptacle is provided between theshock absorber and the cabinet.
 26. The washing machine as claimed inclaim 23, wherein the at least one reinforcement member comprises aprotruding rib protruding from an inner wall of the shock absorberadjacent the duct receptacle.
 27. The gasket as claimed in claim 26,wherein the protruding rib is formed to have characteristics determinedin consideration of stresses applied to the shock absorber by the dryingduct.